141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

290009
Promoting health equity through a collaborative neighborhood health & safety approach

Monday, November 4, 2013

Cassandra Jackson, MBA , Healthy Neighborhoods Detroit, St. John Providence Health System, Detroit, MI
As a mission-driven faith based health system, our holistic approach to serving our communities calls us to address neighborhood safety and limited health resources and their impact on health through strategies that are timely, effective and culturally competent. To this end, St. John Providence Health System began its Detroit Neighborhoods Health and Safety Center Initiative. While the advancement of health care is critical in improving cures for diseases, an ounce of public health is worth a pound of healthcare. The Neighborhood Health and Safety Initiative recognizes prevalent health disparities and safety issues in its target communities and coordinates a collaborative partnership with the health system, community based nonprofits, and residents in order to promote positive outcomes by encouraging practices that foster safety and disease prevention. The initiative developed and implements the PROM-Ed model to address safety and health targeting three Detroit Neighborhoods troubled by poverty, crime and blight, and limited resources. The model has the following components: P-Presence: accessible center located in the target community R-Reporting: reporting and monitoring of crime and unsafe conditions O-Organizing: organizing the collaborative efforts with the advice and participation of community members and block clubs M-Mobilizing: mobilizing volunteer patrols, clean-up efforts and health events, and Ed-Educating: educating communities about healthy lifestyles, and available resources for health care services focusing on under and uninsured. While the model and work plan of the Neighborhood Health and Safety Initiative is unique to the respective neighborhoods, it has the potential to be replicated and shaped to benefit other communities.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate the connection between health and safety and the adaptability of the PROM-Ed model for addressing specific health and safety issues in urban, suburban, and rural communities. Design individualized PROM-Ed blueprints for their communities.

Keywords: Community Health, Health Disparities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As Program Manager of Healthy Neighoborhoods Detroit, I am qualified to present as I have five years experience with the Health System overseeing the collaborative efforts of community programs that focus on healthy and safe environments and access to care. Our project has collected data and research regarding the correlation between neighborhood safety and health inequity; we have also developed a model which combines a community resource center with safety patrols to address community needs.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.